


All For Love

by Dextrousleftie



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gay Sex, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-01-26 19:52:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1700495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dextrousleftie/pseuds/Dextrousleftie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Liam McCreary is disgruntled when his friend signs him up for a gay dating service. But his feelings about it change when he meets his counselor, Alex Pettifor. Will Alex be able to find a match for Liam, or is that match right under both of their noses?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Professor Liam McCreary frowned at his best friend Sybil Raines. The blonde lounged back in her chair on the other side of his desk, smirking slightly. “Sybil…” he began awfully, his voice a knell of doom.

She held up a well-manicured hand in a staying gesture. “No, no, you don’t have to thank me now, Liam. You can save it for later, after you’re in a happy and healthy relationship with someone.”

He blew air out of his nostrils in frustration. “I do NOT need to go to a dating service, Sybil,” he snapped.

She lifted a plucked eyebrow coolly. “Oh? When was the last time that you were on a date, Liam?”

He had to think about that one, which made her red-painted lips lift in a sardonic smile. “I don’t know. Perhaps a few months ago?”

She snorted genteelly. “It was so long ago that you can’t even really recall when it was,” she said in exasperation. “And how did that date go, anyway?”

His shoulders lifted in a faintly defensive gesture. “Erm…we went to dinner and the theater, and afterward I left him at his door.”

“Uh huh. Did you kiss him? Did he ask you in? Did you get laid? And did you ever call him again?”

He ground his teeth together silently. “No to all,” she went on, gauging his expression accurately. “Really, Liam! You’re going to end up a lonely, bitter old man at this rate! And no offense, my dear, but you really suck at picking out potential dates. That’s why a dating service will be so much better - they’ll do all of the work of matching you together with guys that you might actually like. You won’t have to do the picking, which you’re terrible at. All you have to do is wine and dine the guys they pick for you, and hopefully at the end of the day go out with them again if you like one of them. Would that be so hard?”

He sighed. “I suppose not,” he conceded stiffly.

She grinned at him victoriously. “See! I told you you’d come around. Listen, it’s all taken care of. I paid the fees myself, and made an appointment for you to meet with a counselor on Tuesday. All you have to do is talk to him, tell him your likes and dislikes, and let him find someone for you. And this service is the best, top notch. They only recently added a gay dating service to their roster, but I’m sure they’ll be just as professional as the straight one is. Give it a try,” she added coaxingly, “And if you really hate it you can let the service lapse and never go there again. It’s a win/win situation. In the end, if you really hate it, you can go back to being a cloistered monk again.” she said teasingly.

He rolled his eyes a little, but he had to silently concede that she had a point here, too. His dating droughts tended to be pretty long, and when he DID go on a date they were usually horrible disasters. Perhaps a dating service would be just what he needed, even if the very thought of it was faintly repugnant. So he’d give it a try, and if it didn’t work out he’d give up on it. “Very well,” he said glumly. 

She clapped her hands together excitedly. “I’m so glad!” she cried. “I SO want this to work out for you, Liam! I hate the fact that you’re all alone all of the time. I want you to be happy.”

His lips lifted in a faint smile. “I know that you do,” he replied. 

She got to her feet. “Now, I have to run. I’ll call you later, darling. Here’s the address of the dating service, and the name of your counselor. Be sure to be on time, 4:00 Tuesday afternoon. All right?”

Her took the slip of paper from her hand. “Yes.”

“Good. Bye for now, Liam!” with another wave of her hand, she raced out of his office at her usual near run. Sybil did everything at warp speed.  
He glanced down at the paper. It said: All For Love Dating Service, and underneath it was the name Alex Pettifor. Shaking his head a little over the fact that Sybil could talk him into just about anything, he folded the paper and tucked it into his jacket pocket. 

 

 

The All For Love Dating Service was housed in a one-story commercial building, along with an accounting service and a dentist’s office. The sign outside was large and not very tasteful: A large heart with the name of the service in white in the center. Liam wondered in distaste if the heart glowed neon at night. He hesitated on the sidewalk, not wanting to go in. This was SUCH a terrible idea! What had Sybil been thinking? But he knew if he didn’t go in and keep his appointment, Sybil would descend on him like a whirlwind and badger him until he did come, so he just needed to get this over with.

He sighed and walked toward the glass doors leading into the building. He pulled one open and walked inside, pausing to get his bearing just inside. He saw a wooden door with the name All For Love written on it on the left-hand side, and walked toward it. Opening the door, he walked into a large, open room with desks in cubicles at intervals. It looked like any normal office building. A woman sitting behind a desk near the door looked up with a smile of greeting for him. “Welcome to All For Love,” she said. “I’m Pam. How can we help you?”

“I have an appointment for 4:00 with an Alex Pettifor,” he replied crisply.  
She consulted the log book in front of her on the desk. “Ah. Professor McCreary? Yes, Alex is expecting you. His desk is the second one on the right over there,” she pointed to the third row of cubicles. “Do you need me to take you?” she added.

“No, thank you. I can find it,” he said coolly.

“All right. Good luck. Professor,” she said with another smile.

Faintly irritated by her cheery attitude, Liam walked away toward the third row of cubicles to get this over with. He approached the right one, and saw a desk with a name plate on it near the edge. The name plate read Alex Pettifor. He saw that the desk was cluttered with photos, a couple of small plants, and a stuffed bear with a bow around its neck. A mug with a picture of a rainbow and hearts on it was sitting near the elbow of the man behind the desk. This man was on the phone, and the sound of his laughter stopped Liam in his tracks. It was a merry sound, and it did something strange in his abdomen and chest.

Alex Pettifor lifted his head as he became aware of Liam’s presence. He saw a surprisingly young-looking face, with peachy soft skin and pink cheeks. A pair of fine hazel eyes gazed up into his, and a lock of honey-colored hair fell into those eyes until he reached up a fine-boned hand to push it away. He said something into the phone, then lowered the receiver so that he could speak to Liam. ’Hi. You must be Professor McCreary. Would you sit down? I’ll be done in just a sec.”

Liam frowned darkly but sat down in the empty chair across from Alex Pettifor. The dating service counselor returned to his phone call, speaking quickly. He hung up the phone after a moment, smiling apologetically Liam’s way. “Sorry about that, but I had to take that call. A client in distress. But I think it’ll all be sorted out soon.” 

Liam didn’t know how to reply to this, but Alex didn’t give him any time to do so anyway. “I’m Alex Pettifor. So nice to meet you, Professor McCreary. Sybil told me a lot about you when I was assigned to your account. She said you desperately needed our help,” he added with a quirk of his lips.

Liam scowled. “She exaggerates,” he replied crisply.

“Oh? Well, I can still help you out a bit, I think,” he said cheerfully. “That’s what we do here, find your perfect match for you. If we can, “he went on with a lift of his shoulders. “It’s not a 100 % guarantee, no matter what our ads may say. But still, I’ll try my very best to find you the perfect guy for you.”

“Err…thank you,” Liam said stiffly. 

Those lovely hazel eyes studied his face, and Alex grinned. “You hate this, don’t you?” he remarked.

Liam stiffened, but nodded austerely. “Sybil signed me up for this without telling me,” he explained. “I never would have come here on my own.”

“Oh. But at least we can give it a try, since she did sign you up? You never know what could happen,” Alex said persuasively. “The worst thing that might happen is you don’t find the man of your dreams.”

“I suppose,” Liam agreed reluctantly. “What do we do?” he added in resignation.

“I have to ask you a bunch of questions about yourself,” Alex told him. “Please try to have patience with me; this could take awhile. Now…we’ll start with general questions, and them move into your hobbies, likes and dislikes, what you look for in a man, things like that. Bear with me. I’ll only have to do this once,” he went on when he saw the expression on Liam’s face. 

He gritted his teeth together, but tried to be patient as he answered an endless stream of questions about his personal life. He hated this. He hated all of it. This was one of the things he despised about dating; having to make conversation, to tell a perfect stranger all about himself…it irritated him to no end. Seeing the black clouds gathering on his face, Alex stopped asking questions for a moment and said gently: “The good part about all of this, Professor, is that we show your profile with all of this information on it to your prospective dates, so you don’t have to tell them all about yourself when you go out. That’s already taken care of.”

Liam blinked at the counselor’s reading what he was thinking so perfectly. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad, he mused silently. It would be wonderful to be able to skip the polite, stilted part of the conversation and go right to something more interesting instead. So he decided to answer the rest of the questions willingly, because only having to answer them once was much better than having to answer them over and over on each successive date with a new man.

Alex, accurately reading him once again, continued with the questions for awhile. Finally he nodded in satisfaction, typing the last response neatly into his desktop computer. “That’s it, Professor,” he remarked in satisfaction. “I’ll use this data to find you potential matches, and I’ll call you when I have some ready for you. I’ll show you the profiles of those potentials when we meet next, and you can pick which ones you like the look of.”

He lifted his brows. “That’s it?”

Alex nodded. “Yes, it is. For now, anyway. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

He had to agree that it hadn’t been. He rose to his feet, and Alex did the same. He proffered his hand across the desk top. “It was really great to meet you, Professor. I’m sure I can find somebody great for you. I’ll give it my best shot, anyway.”

“Err...thank you,” Liam said, eyeing him warily. So much enthusiasm was a little off-putting to him.

Alex nodded. “I’ll call you soon with a list of possibles, Professor,” he said. 

“Just wait and see. I’ve been told before this that I’m a miracle worker.”

Liam gave him a dubious look, but then visibly shrugged it off. “Very well. Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Pettifor.”

Alex smiled. It was a wide, dazzling smile, and it started that strange feeling in his gut again. “I’ll try my very best, Professor,” he assured Liam cheerfully.

“I’m sure you will,” Liam agreed, then fled from the office to get away from the man who was having such a strange effect on him. His reaction to Alex Pettifor was disturbing. What in the hell was wrong with him?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam goes on his first date wit a guy from one of the profiles that Alex picked for him. how will it go?

Liam was deep into writing his latest article on political structures in Renaissance Europe when his phone rang. He reached out and picked up the handset, putting it to his ear without barely breaking stride. “Hello? Professor McCreary here,” he said into the phone. 

“Hi, Professor McCreary! This is Alex Pettifor, at All For Love. I’ve got a tentative list compiled of possible matches for you. Did you want to come in sometime today and pick it up?”

He felt his heart kick up for some reason at this suggestion, and not because he was getting a list of possible matches. But he chose to ignore this reaction. “That would be fine,” he said coolly. “I’ll come after four, if that’s all right with you. My last class of the day gets out at four.”

“That’s fine, I’ll be here until six. See you then, Professor.”

Liam hung up the phone, a slight frown on his face. His continued reaction to Alex Pettifor was disturbing him greatly. The man was simply a matchmaker, who was going to set him up with men who might be possible matches for him in the romance department. Nothing more. He really needed to ignore whatever this was and hope that Alex had found some suitable men for him to date. 

 

Alex was bent over his computer when Liam approached his desk later that afternoon. He was humming to himself under his breath, a cheerful sound. The professor ruthlessly tamped down the urge to reach out and run his fingers through the other man’s rather mussed hair, to smooth the silken locks. He cleared his throat a bit. Alex’s head flew up, and when he saw Liam standing there he smiled widely in greeting. “Hello, Professor McCreary!” he called happily. “Welcome back! Pleases sit down, I have that list for you right here.”

“Thank you,” Liam said, sitting down in the chair across from Alex.

“Hey, it’s my job! Though I love doing it,” Alex confessed as he handed   
Liam a stack of papers. “Getting people together? Helping them to find love and someone who makes them happy? What job could be better than that?”

Liam considered this as he took the stack. He saw that each one was a profile, complete with a photo. There were at least a dozen. He was surprised that Alex had found so many for someone with a personality like his. “All of these are potential matches for me?” he asked cautiously.

Alex nodded. “Mmm hmm. Look them over and decide if any of them appeal to you. Their info is on the profiles, so you can give any of them that you like the look of a call and set up a date. Unless you want me to do it for you, which I’ll willingly do. I’m here to make your dating experience as easy and fun as possible. Anything I can do to help,” he added with a grin.  
Liam shuffled slowly through the list, looking the men over. He was aware that Alex was watching him intently, which made it hard for him to concentrate. Finally he glanced up. “May I ask you a question, Mr. Pettifor?” he said.

Alex nodded. “Sure. But call me Alex, please.”

“Alex, then. Do YOU have a boyfriend yourself?” Liam asked, trying to keep his voice completely neutral. 

Alex sighed, shrugging ruefully. “Not at the moment, no. I know that seems silly, since I work for a dating service and could find guys the way I do for other people. But it seems kind of wrong to use work resources for personal reasons. Don’t you think?”

“I suppose so,” Liam agreed. He looked down at the list in his lap. “There are several men here who seem interesting,” he continued, lifting the profiles he was talking about in one hand.

“Oh, good! Do you want me to call them for you?”

“Would you? Call this one. Tell him that I’d like to take him to Chez Henri tomorrow night at seven. If that’s good for him.” He handed the paper to Alex, who took it.

“I’ll do that. And I’ll call you after I’ve talked to him, to tell you what he said. Let me be your intermediary,” Alex went on with a sunny smile. 

“That will be fine. You have my thanks again, Alex, for your help,” Liam told him.

“Like I said, it’s what I do. I’ll call you later and tell you what he said.”

“I appreciate it. I have to go now,” Liam said as he rose to his feet. He hesitated, then forced himself to nod at Alex and walk away without a backward glance. He liked his reaction to his dating counselor so little that he was going to pretend that it didn’t exist, and was going to go on dates with the men in the profiles instead. Surely one of them would be interesting enough to district him from this strange, aberrant reaction. Surely…

 

His cell phone rang at about six o’clock. Once again, Liam looked up from the article he was writing. He pulled out his cell and hit the ‘accept’ button, putting it to his ear. “Hello? Professor McCreary speaking,” he said crisply.  
“Hi, Professor McCreary, this is Alex Pettifor,” the cheerful voice chirped from the other end. “I called Craig Everly, the man in the profile you picked, and he said he’d be happy to meet you at Chez Henri tomorrow night at seven. He’s really looking forward to the date.”

“Ah, thank you,” Liam replied, carefully concealing the flash of irritation that went through him at the news that the date was on. 

“Hey, like I told you earlier, it’s my job,” Alex said happily. “I really hope that you two click, Professor. Whether you do or not, will you call me no matter what and tell me how the date went?” he added hopefully.

“Of course.”

“Great! I can’t wait to hear from you. I hope you have a really good time on your date, Professor.”

“Thank you.” He ignored a lance of annoyance that shafted through him at the enthusiasm for his upcoming date that rang in Alex’s voice. 

“Anyway, I need to get going. Please call me soon, Professor.”

“I will. Goodnight, Mr. Pettifor.”

“Alex, remember. Alex.”

“Alex, then. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Professor.”

 

Liam hung up the phone, a frown crossing his face. But he only shrugged and returned to his writing. He was determined to try to have a good time on his date tomorrow night. 

 

Liam sat at a table at Chez Henri, wearing his best suit and glancing impatiently at his watch. His date was late. If the man didn’t show up soon, he’d be leaving. He didn’t want to eat here alone, and the restaurant would want the table for paying customers.

Suddenly, a man swept up to the table. “Hello, Professor McCreary,” he cried. “I’m sorry that I’m late! But a meeting at work ran late. Oh, I’m Craig Everly, by the way,” he added as Liam rose to his feet.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Everly,” Liam said formally.

A quick smile. “It’s Craig. Shall we sit down?”

“Yes, please do,” Liam returned to his seat, and Craig Everly sat down across from him. 

“I’ve heard the food is great here. Have you ever eaten here before?” Craig Everly asked, opening his menu.

“Yes, a few times. The food is quite good,” Liam told him.

“Excellent. Since this is our first date, I thought we could each pay for ourselves. Just in case things don’t work out,” Craig commented, scanning his menu.

“That sound fine,” Liam agreed. 

After Craig decided what he wanted, the waiter arrived with a glass of water for him and a basket of breadsticks. They ordered, and once he’d departed Liam looked at his date curiously. Craig Everly had a pleasant-looking face and a nice smile. A good prospect, even if he’d shown up late. The other man returned the interest, looking Liam over. “Do you’re a professor at the college?” he asked curiously.

Liam nodded austerely. “That is correct.”

Craig Everly’s eyes began to twinkle at his formal tones. His lips twitched slightly. “What are you a professor of?” he asked curiously.

“I am a professor of Renaissance History and Literature. What do you do, Mr. Everly?”

“It’s Craig. And I’m an office worker, a drone. My job is too boring to talk about,” Craig went on with a grimace.

“You don’t like your job?”

A shrug. “Not particularly. Yours sounds much more interesting. Do you like teaching?”

“Being an educator can be very fulfilling,” Liam conceded. “Though the students can often be astonishingly ignorant and unwilling to learn.”  
Craig laughed. “That’s teenagers for you. I wouldn’t want to try to teach teenagers. You should probably get a medal.”

“Every teacher deserves a medal. Especially high school teachers. At least by the time they reach me, the worst of them has been weeded out already.”

“That’s true.” Craig took a sip from his water glass. “So do you have any hobbies, Professor?”

“You may call me Liam. And I enjoy woodworking as a hobby.”

“Woodworking? That sounds interesting. What do you make?”

 

So Liam began to explain how he made small pieces of furniture, bookshelves, and even wooden toys for Christmas toy drives in his workshop behind his house. Craig, in turn, talked about how much he enjoyed gardening and oil painting on his days off. The food arrived, and they applied themselves to it. 

 

Liam decided that he was enjoying himself. But still…while Craig was a perfectly pleasant person, and an entertaining conversationalist, there was just something…lacking. After a moment, he realized what it was. There was no spark. When he thought about kissing Craig, his body barely stirred at all. While the man was someone he might enjoy having as a friend, as a romantic companion and lover? Not so much. 

This realization annoyed him, because he strongly suspected that his lack of desire for his date might have something to do with his strange reaction to Alex Pettifor. Now, when he imagined kissing Alex…his body tightened traitorously, and his heart beat picked up. He scowled down at his entrée, irritated with himself. Here was a perfectly viable candidate for romance sitting right across from him, and he wasn’t responding at all because of his dating counselor? He really had to try to do better than this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If at first you don't succeed...

Liam escorted Craig to his front door. “I had a nice time tonight,” he said politely. 

Craig turned to look at him. The other man’s face split into a wry grin. “You don’t need to pretend,” he told Liam.

“What do you mean?”

Craig shrugged. “I could tell your eyes were starting to glaze over even before the dessert arrived. While it stings a bit that an attractive man like you obviously doesn’t go for me at all, at the same time I’d rather you not pretend that this date was scintillating and the best you’ve had in ages. Okay?”

Liam sighed. “I’m sorry,” he began.

Craig held up a hand. “It’s all right. We just didn’t click, that’s all. It’s not the end of the world. We’ll just have to try again with somebody else.”

“Yes,” Liam looked at his face in the glow of the porch light. “I do regret that there was no chemistry between us,” he told Craig sincerely. “I genuinely like you as a person.”

“Me, too,” Craig replied. “So why don’t we try being friends instead? Give me a call soon if you want to just hang out or something.”

“I’d like that very much,” Liam said honestly. 

“Great. Goodnight, Liam. Here’s hoping that we both do better on our next dates,” and he stepped forward and kissed Liam lightly on the cheek, before he opened the door and walked inside. 

Liam shook his head at himself as he headed for his car. How understanding and genuinely kind Craig had been. Why couldn’t he have fallen for someone like that? Why was he having stupid fantasies about his dating counselor instead? He grimy determined to try again, as soon as possible. Surely there was someone in that list of possible matches who was just right for him?

 

Alex looked downcast. “I’m really sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you, Liam,” he said sadly. 

He lifted his shoulders slightly. “It was only the first try,” he pointed out calmly. 

Alex brightened up. His eyes took on a sparkle that made Liam’s insides do funny things. “You’re right! We’ll definitely find someone just right for you, Liam,” he cried, picking up the list of possible matches. “I just know it. I have a gut feeling about this. My gut feelings are never wrong,” he added for Liam’s benefit. “Someone here is the perfect guy for you.”

He leaned over the list, his eyes scanning each paper in turn. Liam stared at the top of his head, his fingers itching to reach out and touch the soft-looking hair that waved carelessly over Alex’s forehead. His face was so serious and intent, his gently pink mouth set in a determined line. Liam couldn’t help staring at those lips as well. He wondered what they’d taste like. He had the sudden, intense urge to pull Alex up, throw him across his own desk, and plunder that sweet mouth to his heart’s content. He wanted to hear Alex moan for him, to make the man writhe, and pant, and cry out in ecstasy…

Liam blinked, coming back to himself. A part of him was appalled by his extremely strong reaction to Alex Pettifor. He’d NEVER felt this way about anyone else before in his entire life! It rather frightened him, this intensity. He didn’t want it. It interfered with his ability to reason and think logically. As a scholar and educator, he valued reason highly. This loss of it was making him a little crazy. 

“Ah, here we are!” Alex called, holding up a piece of paper. “Dave Johnston. One of his hobbies is reading history books. His personality seems pretty compatible with yours. Would you like to give him as try?”

“Yes, I would,” Liam told him. ‘Anyone but you,’ he thought, looking at Alex’s beaming face. ‘Will do.’

 

He sat in a restaurant across from Dave Johnston, feeling bored and irritated in equal parts. This guy Dave was nice enough, but he was incredibly uninteresting. All he did was talk about himself incessantly, and his life was so boring that Liam couldn’t pay attention. He sipped at his glass of water, trying not to grind his teeth together. How much longer before he could get the hell out of here and never have to see this guy again?   
He had to admit that Dave DID read history books - that had been one part of his rambling monologues that Liam had caught in passing. But it wasn’t as though he could have an interesting conversation about what he’d read with Dave, since the man wouldn’t let him get a word in edgewise. He didn’t seem to understand that a conversation was supposed to take place between two people, not just one.

He thought briefly of Alex as he listened with only half an ear to whatever Dave was talking about now. The poor man would be so unhappy that Liam’s second attempt at dating hadn’t gone anywhere, either. But it wasn’t his fault; Dave Johnson’s profile certainly wouldn’t have mentioned the fact that the guy loved to hear the sound of his own voice. You couldn’t know something like that until you actually went on a date with the other person.   
Liam took a bite of his entrée and chewed slowly but thoroughly. He stared at Dave’s face across the tabletop. If dating and relationships was just about looks, Dave would be a prefect candidate. He was very handsome. Maybe if somebody put a muzzle on him…this thought made his lips twitch, and he had to look down to conceal the amusement in his eyes lest Dave see it there and wonder about it. 

Dave finally stopped talking long enough to eat his food. Liam finished his own meal in silence, something that Dave didn’t even seem to notice. He really was completely self-centered. Liam wished heartily that he was in his study right now, working on his article or reading one of the new books that he’d just purchased from a place that sold rare and hard-to-find volumes. What a waste of time this date had been! His second in only a week. He was starting to curse the fact that his friend has signed him up for that dating service. It was disrupting his life with no gain on his part whatsoever.  
Liam was glad to finally take Dave home. He rejected coming in for a nightcap; the gleam in Dave’s eyes said clearly that he wanted much more than a drink from Liam, and he had no interest in sleeping with Dave. All he wanted was to get away from the man permanently. So while he promised to give him a call sometime, Liam was lying through his teeth. It was a relief to escape into his car and drive home.

 

He was reluctant to call Alex and tell him about the date. He knew that the counselor would be dejected that yet another of his candidates had been a total bust - an even worse one than the last one, even, since Liam liked Craig and intended to become friends with him. There was no WAY that he was going to try to become friends with Dave! He hated the thought of the way Alex’s face would fall, and the crestfallen expression on it. But he couldn’t avoid it altogether, because Alex was sure to call him up and ask him how the date had gone even if he didn’t call. 

 

So in the afternoon, between classes, he settled in his office chair and called All For Love. Alex’s voice was eager and happy over the phone. “Liam! How did it go!” he cried hopefully.

Liam sighed, his shoulders tightening as he answered: “Not very well, I’m afraid.”

“Oh? Really? What happened?” Alex asked, sounding disappointed.

Liam rubbed at his temple with two fingers as he told Alex all about the fact that his date had spent the entire evening talking about himself without ceasing until he had to eat his meal. 

“Oh, wow,” Alex said when he was done. “That’s bad. I’m so sorry, Liam. And I had such high hopes for that one, too…”

“I know you did. You couldn’t have known that he was like that,” Liam said soothingly.

“You’re right. And I’ll do my very best to find you somebody better next time,” Alex began.

“If you could…would you mind very much giving me a few days off?” Liam asked, interrupting him. “I have an article that I need to finish writing before its overdue, and I really don’t have much time for dating right now. I hope you understand.”

“Of course I do!” Alex said stoutly. “That’ll give me more time to find matches for you, anyway. If I have to, I’ll do more in-depth interviews with every one I want to recommend before I call you again. I really want you to find somebody and be happy, Liam,” he said earnestly.

He felt his guts twist inside of him. He wanted to speak, to tell Alex that there was one person he was beginning to suspect might make him happy, very happy…but he couldn’t do it. He simply couldn’t. Whether out of cowardice or reticence or worry that Alex might not return his interest(which would leave them both in a VERY awkward position indeed), he kept his mouth shut. Alex said a few more things and hung up, and Liam sighed in disgust at himself as he put the phone in its cradle. He’d never been a particularly fearful person, so why did this one slim, eager, bright soul seem to have reduced him to a miserable state of quivering cowardice? He just didn’t know. 

 

He looked up with a frown a few days later, as his friend Sybil swept into his study with her usual energy and sat down in her favorite chair across from him. She directed a gimlet stare his way. “Liam,” she began in the tone of voice that told him he was about to receive a lecture. 

“What have I done now?” he asked grimly, eyeing her.

“You know perfectly well what you’ve done!” she cried, waving a red fingernail at him scolding.

He folded his hands in front of him on his desktop. “No, I don’t,” he replied.

“Fine, then. If you’re going to pretend to be clueless…though with you, that’s seldom actually pretense,” she went on thoughtfully, earning her a dark look. “I called Alex Pettifor at All For Love, and he tells me that you rejected two men already, and now you’ve asked for him to stop finding you dates!”

“First of all, Sybil, of the two men that I went out with the first one and I didn’t click at all - we simply had no chemistry whatsoever, which he acknowledged too - and the second one was a shallow and narcissistic creature who wouldn’t stop talking about himself all evening. Secondly, I only asked Mr. Pettifor for a few days off to finish that article I’m writing, because it’s due tomorrow. I’ll get right back on the horse very soon, I assure you,” he told her coolly.

She eyed him warily. “Are you sure, Liam? This isn’t just an attempt to weasel out of this whole thing altogether?”

“No, it is not. If I don’t want to do this anymore, I will simply tell Mr. Pettifor that openly. I won’t slink around and make up excuses for why I don’t want to go out with anymore of their potential matches. And if I DO decide to call the whole thing off, please don’t think you’ll be able to change my mind,” he added shortly.

She snorted elegantly. “As if. I know you, Liam. When you get stubborn about something there’s no changing your mind. Very well, as long as you’re still willing to use All For Love I’ll let it go. There’s got to be SOMEBODY out there who’s compatible with you!” she went on, although she sounded rather dubious.

He kept his mouth shut and didn’t tell her that such a person might exist already. He wasn’t going to get into his odd feelings for his dating counselor with her. She’d jump on the whole thing like a starving wolf on a dying elk, and he’d never hear the end of it until he asked Alex out - or lost his mind and murdered her. It was safer just to not say anything at all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam has a decision to make

Another day, another date. Liam had been hopeful for this one. Ben Carter had a firm handshake, an easy smile, and a charmingly rueful way of talking about himself. Also, he was intelligent and didn’t spend all of his time talking about himself, like his last date had. But as they talked over dinner, he began to suspect that Ben was maybe a LITTLE too much like himself - they agreed on many, many things(well, almost everything, as far as he could tell), and the topics of conversation that either one of them brought up were exactly the same ones that the other person would have gotten around to eventually as well. Hell, they were practically ending each others’ sentences. On the first date! This was not good. Liam did NOT want to date a guy who was almost a carbon copy of himself. That was sure to get boring very quickly. 

Ben paused in taking a bite of his entrée just as Liam was thinking this, and shook his head. “This is no good, is it?” he remarked. 

“What do you mean?” Liam asked him. 

The other man shrugged. “You and I are a lot alike. Way too much alike! This conversation almost has a practiced feel to it, doesn’t it? We’re so much on the same mental wavelength.”

Liam sighed slightly. “Yes, you are correct,” he replied. “I was just thinking that myself. I don’t think it’s wise to date someone who’s too much like myself.”

“I agree, as usual,” Ben said with that same rueful charm. “Well, I had a good evening, anyway, Liam. Even if it’s not going anywhere.”

“I did as well,” he agreed glumly. 

“What’s the matter, then?” Ben asked him shrewdly.

He set down his fork neatly beside his plate. “This is my third date through All For Love, and it’s not working out any more than the first two did. I’m starting to think that I’ll never find anyone who is compatible with me, no matter how hard my counselor works to find eligible men who he thinks would mesh with me.”

“Three dates isn’t a lot. You just need to keep on trying,” Ben said.

“Yes, I know. But I suppose…” he trailed off, then shook his head again. “My heart isn’t in it,” he added in explanation.

Ben’s eyes rested on his face. “Why not?”

“Well, first of all, my best friend signed me up for the dating service without consulting me. I wasn’t happy about that. And then…” He stopped again, but decided to tell this man about his strange feelings for Alex Pettifor. After all, he’d probably never see Ben again after tonight. “I…had a strange reaction to my dating counselor. He…there’s something about him,” Liam began, helpless to actually explain his reaction to Alex coherently.

“Oh? So you’ve got the hots for your counselor? No wonder you haven’t found anybody you like,” Ben said with a grin.

Liam frowned. “I told you, I just haven’t found anyone I’m compatible with,” he said stiffly.

Ben snorted. “Of course you haven’t, if you’ve already got a thing for the dating service guy. So, is he single? And if he is, why not ask him out?”

Disturbed, he sipped at his water glass before answering. “I don’t know how to explain this,” he began slowly. “But I’ve never quite reacted to anyone before the way I do to HIM. I suppose,” he went on, shame-faced, “That it rather…scares me.”

Ben considered his words. “I can see that,” he conceded. “You’re a man who’s obviously used to being in complete control of yourself,” he went on as Liam gave him a surprised look. “Your reaction to this man Alex is out of your control, thus frightening to you. I suppose what you have to do is decide if it would be worth it to let yourself be out of control for once in your life. If not, stay away from him. But if it is, then go after him like a wolf after an elk. That’s what I’d do,” he added with a quirky smile. “For what it’s worth.”

Liam thought about this, turning his water glass around in his hands thoughtfully. He knew what Ben was saying was true. He’d always been sort of a control freak. But his very strong reaction to Alex Pettifor was definitely out of his control. And he didn’t like that, not at all. Was he willing to give up his self-control and go for it with Alex, or would it be too difficult for him? He’d have to mull the whole thing over.

Ben chuckled. “Seeing as how we’re a lot alike,” he teased, “I’ll bet you’re thinking that you’ll have to consider all aspects of the situation before you make your choice.”

Liam grimaced. “You would be correct,” he replied stiffly.

Ben laughed outright. “Well, good luck with it, whatever you decide.”

“Thank you.”

 

After he’d parted with Ben outside the restaurant(the other man kissed him on the cheek as a parting), Liam drove home. His thoughts were all on the conversation that he’d just had with Ben. What did he want to do? He was wildly attracted to Alex - so much so, that he was extremely disturbed by it. And Ben had hit the nail right on the head when he’d pointed out it was because he was uneasy about his loss of control. Liam hated to lose control of anything in his life. 

He frowned to himself as he walked into his house and went to his study. He sat down in the comfortable leather chair behind his desk, reclining back into it as he turned all of his attention to his decision. He thought about Alex- about his smile, about his enthusiasm, about his slim body and messy curls. And especially about his eyes. He had beautiful eyes. Full of light and life, they always brightened whenever he saw Liam. Did they do that with all of his clients? Or was it just the sight of him that made Alex’s eyes light up like that? He’d like to think so, but there was no way to be sure.  
Liam drummed his fingers on the desktop. Ben had been right about another thing, too; he’d only been on three dates so far. Was that enough of a sample to tell him that his dating life(outside of asking Alex out) was doomed? No, it wasn’t. So he decided to go on a few more dates with the men that Alex found for him before he decided one way or the other to pursue Alex. 

Yes, he knew he was putting it all off. But he’d only have to endure a few more dates, and who knew? He might actually meet someone he liked almost as well as he seemed to like Alex…

 

 

Alex was very enthusiastic about his next date. “He’s really nice, Liam! I’m SURE you’ll like him!” he cried over the phone.

“Very well, Alex,” he replied. “I trust your judgment.” 

The other man snorted a little. “That’s starting to surprise me,” he commented wryly. “I’ve failed three times so far.”

“You couldn’t have known that I wouldn’t be compatible with any of those men,” Liam pointed out reassuringly.

“Yes, but my track record so far has been better than this! I’m starting to worry that I’m losing my touch!” the counselor said unhappily.

Liam felt bad. Part of this was his fault, because he wasn’t going into these dates with any real enthusiasm. Because Alex was always in the back of his head, and he’d started to compare all other men to the dating counselor. And that was bad. Very bad. But he said nothing, because he still wasn’t ready to make a decision about Alex one way or the other.

“Anyway, good luck tonight,” Alex went on in his normal sprightly way. “I really have a good feeling about this one.”

“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” Liam lied. 

 

He entered the restaurant that evening with a slight feeling of trepidation. Despite Alex’s assurances about his ‘good feelings about this one’, Liam wasn’t sure that he had any faith in this one. The hostess led him to a table where the man was waiting. He looked up with a welcoming smile. He was good-looking, and his expression was friendly as hw rose to his feet and pout out his hand. “Hi, Liam. I’m Ned.”

“Nice to meet you, Ned,” he replied as he shook the man’s hand. 

“Please sit down,” Ned said, sinking down in his seat again.

Liam took a seat at the table, and a waitress brought him a menu. “It’s so nice to meet you, Liam” Ned began. “Alex told me SO much about you!”

Liam gave him a surprised stare. “He did?”

Ned nodded happily. “He really talked you up. I think that you’re one of his favorite clients. He said he wants to find you somebody great, but that he hasn’t had much luck. He’s hoping that I…” he trailed off, blushing a little, “Will be the one to break the streak. And I must admit, seeing you in person I feel the same way.”

Liam stared at him. “What did he say about me?” he asked abruptly.

Ned blinked in surprise. “Oh, just that you were intelligent, and handsome, and maybe a little over-serious, but really interesting and knowledgeable, and that he thought that you might be the perfect partner for the right person. You know, it’s kind of weird,” he went on thoughtfully. “I sort of got the feeling that he was a little…I don’t know…wistful or something.”

Liam felt tumult in his chest and stomach. He shoved to his feet. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Really sorry, Ned, but I have to cancel our date. I’ve got to go.”

“What? Why?!” Ned cried, looking stricken.

Liam shook his head. “I’ve found the right person for me already,” he told the other man. “I just wasn’t ready to admit it before now. Never mind why - but I don’t think I’d be happy trying to be with anyone else but him. And that wouldn’t be fair to you. I’m sorry,” he said again. “But I’ve got to go.”

Ned stared up at him. “You’re going to this guy, whoever he is?” he asked shrewdly.

Liam nodded. “I have to,” he replied simply.

To his astonishment, Ned beamed up at him. “That’s so romantic! It’s just like in a movie! Oh, I’m not hurt,” he said as Liam’s eyebrows shot up, “This was our first date, after all. And you’ve only been here for five minutes. It’s not like we’ve been dating for years and you pull this on me. If you really need to be with this other guy, then go for it! Get going,” he added, waving a hand at Liam.

“Thank you,” he said, then strode out of the restaurant as though his heels were on fire.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't go as planned...

Much to Liam’s chagrin, All For Love was closed by the time he got over there. He gritted his teeth in frustration when he found the door locked and the lights turned off inside. Damn it! Here he’d worked himself up into a near frenzy, getting ready to accost Alex and finally confess how he felt, and now he was stymied and would have to wait until sometime tomorrow. He growled softly under his breath, and decided that he wasn’t giving up. He drove to the university, holing up in his office and pulling up a yellow pages phone book on the internet. Then he began to call every single Alex Pettifor in the city.

Fortunately for him, there were only five men who had that particular name. The first three were duds, but the man who answered on the fourth call(it wasn’t Alex’s voice) acknowledged that this was the home address of the man who worked for All For Love Dating Service. “I’m one of his clients,” Liam began abruptly, “And I don’t have his personal cell phone number. I really need to get in touch with him right away. Would that be at all possible?” 

“Oh, I see. Well, let me just ask him. He’s in the shower, so it could take a few minutes. Are you okay to wait?”

Liam was brought up short. This man was going to talk to Alex IN THE SHOWER?! While the counselor had admitted that he wasn’t dating anyone when Liam had first asked him, that had been almost a month ago. Had he met someone since then? Was this his boyfriend? “On second thought, perhaps it’s not as urgent as I thought,” he said coolly. “I’ll call him at work tomorrow to discuss the situation with him.”

“Are you sure?” The man asked. “I can go get him for you.”

“No, that’s all right. I don’t want to disturb him. Good night,” he hung up, crashing the handset down on its cradle and glaring at the far wall. 

He blamed himself for this. If he’d asked Alex out right away, when he’d first realized his intense attraction for the dating counselor, Alex might have said yes. They’d probably be together right now. It would be HIM answered the phone at Alex’s house, him who would be going into the bathroom to tell a wet and naked Alex Pettifor that one of his clients was on the phone. Instead, he was too damn late. Alex was taken, and he was screwed. Because he’d promised that he’d continue to use All For Love, which meant he’d have to continue to see and speak to Alex constantly while the counselor tried to find people for him to date. And in the back of his mind, the entire time, would be the thought that Alex was seeing another man, letting another man touch him and kiss him and hold him…this was going to be Hell. One hundred per cent, pure Hell. 

 

Alex jumped and shrieked when the shower curtain was dramatically flung back, and whirled to glare at the young man standing in his bathroom and grinning at him. “Mark, you rotten snake!” He shrieked, flinging water at the other man. “You scared the crap out of me!”

“So sorry, Alex, but can I help it if you’re a big scaredy cat? I just wanted to tell you that some guy called and said he was one of your clients. He wanted to talk to you, but he changed his mind and said he’d call you tomorrow at work instead. But I got the feeling that he was upset about something,” Mark pointedly didn’t look at Alex’s naked, soap covered form, ostentatiously staring across the bathroom instead.

Alex snorted and reached out to poke him. “Stop acting like you’ll get eye gangrene if you see me naked, Mark,” he snapped. “We used to see each other naked all the time when we were kids. I’m not that much different now, you know.”

His younger brother snorted. “I just don’t want to see my adult brother naked. Because I think I’ll catch the gay if I do that.”

Alex shrieked again and slapped him upside the head, making Mark duck and curse at him. “CATCH THE GAY?! Like it’s a disease or something?! You’re such a jerk, Mark. I’m telling Mom on you.”

“Hey, hey, don’t get nasty now,” his brother said, lifting his hands placatingly. “I’m sorry, I’m just razzing you. But about the guy who called?”

“Yes. Who was it? Did he say?” Alex said, calming down and starting to worry about the call.   
Mark shrugged. “No. And the weird thing is, I could swear he got pissed when I said you were in the shower. How freaky is that? I didn’t think that you gay guys got skeeved out about thinking about each other in the shower.”

“We don’t, thank you very much,” Alex replied primly. “I wonder who it was? I wonder if something’s wrong? Now I’m going to worry all night.”

Mark made a scoffing sound with his lips. When his brother glared at him, he lifted his shoulders again and began to retreat out of the bathroom. “Don’t shoot the messenger,” he said with a grin. “I’m outta here, bro. See you next week.”

“Thanks for coming over and helping me, Mark,” Alex told him. His brother had fixed his computer, which had been doing something very strange. 

“Hey, no prob. Just get better anti-viral software, okay? I’ll send you an e-mail with some programs that you can get that’ll keep your computer clean. Laters,” he waved a hand and left the bathroom, slamming the door after him with his usual energy.

Alex closed the shower curtain and finished washing the soap off of himself, a frown marring his face. Who had called? Which one of his clients? Had something bad happened? He really would worry all night, because Alex took his job very seriously. He cared about all of his clients. Though, to be honest, there was one that he seemed to care for much more than any of the others, though he was trying not to think about that since Liam didn’t seem interested in him in return…

 

Alex squirmed in his seat, drumming his fingers on his desktop. His eyes were fastened on his phone. Every time it had rung this morning he’d snatched it up, but so far nobody calling was one of his clients with a serious problem. Who had called last night? He bit at his lip, knowing that if no one called today he’d be driven crazy by day’s end. He was so worried.   
Maybe he should start calling his client list, and find out who among them had called him at his home last night? 

He decided to do it, because he needed to know. Whoever had called would have had to find his home’s phone number, and anyone going to that much trouble must have had a good reason for doing so. He snatched up his phone and began calling down the list, but no one who answered had called him at home. Alex was starting to feel frustrated. Then, in the middle of it all, he had the sudden urge to call Liam. It was just a hunch, but Alex had always trusted his hunches. It’s why he was so good at his job. So he dialed the number of Liam’s office at the university, because the professor had a cell phone but he always turned it off during the day while he worked. 

He hoped that Liam was in his office. Much to his relief, he heard that familiar serious voice answer. “Hello, Liam. This is Alex,” he blurted. “I’m calling today because one of my clients called me at home last night, then said that he’d call me at work today. But nobody has so far, and I’m a bit worried. What if something’s wrong? Anyway, I thought I’d call as many of my clients as I could today and ask them if it was one of them who called me. So was it you, Liam? Did you call my house last night?”

Silence on the other end, then the professor replied shortly: “Yes, I was the one who called.”

Alex blinked. “Oh. Why? Is there something wrong? And why didn’t you call me, this morning?”

A sigh. “I’m sorry, Alex. I wanted to talk to you about something last night, but the situation resolved itself so I didn’t need your help anymore. I should have called you and told you that, but I got busy teaching my classes. Mid-term exams are today, you see. I simply forgot.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Alex said hurriedly. “So you’re sure you don’t need anything from me? And how did your date last night go?”

“It was short. It just didn’t work out,” Liam said abruptly. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said unhappily. “I’m really falling down on the job for you, aren’t I?” he added unhappily.

“No,” Liam’s voice had gentled. “You’re not. I’m afraid that it’s my fault, Alex. I guess my heart isn’t really into this at the moment. We can try again fi you want to, but as for me I’d prefer taking a break from blind dates. If that’s all right with you.”

“Sure it is,” he replied, trying to sound hearty and reassuring. But something inside of his chest twisted at the thought that he wouldn’t be seeing or talking to Liam for awhile if the man took a break from All For Love. “Just give me a call when you’re ready to try again, Liam. Or…” he added, biting at his lip a little, “You could call me anytime anyway. If you simply want to talk or something.”

“You’re very kind,” Liam said, and there was a note in his voice that made Alex want to cry for some reason. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Alex.”

“You’re welcome. I try to be here for my clients whenever I can,” Alex said, not letting on that in this case it felt far more personal than usual where Liam was concerned. 

“I’m sure you do. You’re very good at your job. It’s not your fault that I don’t seem to click with too many men. But then, my friend who signed me up for your services was skeptical that there is anyone out there who is truly compatible with me,” his voice was wry and self-deprecating.

“Don’t think that way. Of course there’s someone out there who is perfect for you,” Alex told him stoutly, tallying. “And I’m going to find him one of these days, I promise.”

“Well, if anyone can do it it’s you,” Liam replied, and the warmth in his voice made funny flutterings start up in Alex’s abdomen. “But now I really have to be going. I have a class in twenty minutes.”

“Okay. But you’ll be sure to call me when you’re ready to try dating again, won’t you?” Alex said anxiously.

“Yes, of course. Goodbye, Alex. Thank you for all that you’ve done for me already I appreciate it.”

“Hey, my pleasure,”  
Alex said softly, meaning it. The phone hung up on the other end, and he stared at the handset and felt rather bereft. As though he’d lost something important to him, something that he hadn’t even known that he’d had until it was gone. Which was strange, wasn’t it? Liam was just a client. Like any other client. Definitely…


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding the perfect man for Liam

A/N: As per request, here's the next chapter of All FOr Love. Enjoy -DL

 

 

 

Liam scowled down at the stack of papers on his desk. He hated grading, but his TA was sick so he had to do it himself. That was just par for the course for this horrible, horrible month. Everything in his life seemed to be going wrong since he’d stepped away from All For Love after realizing that Alex was dating somebody else. 

All of his students seemed to be even worse than normal. They seemed more ignorant, more apathetic, more lazy, and their attention spans seemed to have shrunk to about twenty seconds or less. Teaching had never seemed harder or more annoying to him than it did right now. It definitely didn’t help that his skilled and efficient TA had come down with a severe case of bronchitis, and would be out for another few weeks. Which meant that Liam had to teach all of his classes as well as grade all papers and homework himself, so he was swamped with work. He hadn’t been able to write a single paper or article in the last few weeks; hell, he’d barely had time to breathe, let alone do anything constructive. He’d come to depend far too much on his TAs since he’d gotten tenure, he had to admit that. And he’d taken them for granted, something he’d never do again. He’d appreciate the hell out of them from now on.

The rest of his life wasn’t working very well, either. His table saw blade had caught on a particularly nasty knot in a board, and the blade had broken. He had ordered a replacement, but it hadn’t come yet. Though he supposed he should just be grateful that he hadn’t been hurt when the blade had gone to pieces. He did have a small cut on his chin from a flying bit of wood, though. Nothing worrisome, just annoying. Like everything else in his life right now.

Sylvia was constantly on his case to go back to All For Love, and it was making him grouchy. He couldn’t tell her the real reason he was on a break from the dating service, so she kept harping at him. He knew he’d lose it soon and try to strangle his best friend, which would be sad but inevitable. He hoped the jury would understand that the murder had been justifiable.  
To top it all off, his first edition copy of Shakespeare’s plays had received water damage after he’d tripped and spilled a cup of tea all over his desk a few days ago. The book restorer thought he might be able to fix the damage, but he wasn’t sure. All in all, his life really sucked right now.

Of course, he knew that the real reason his life sucked donkey balls was because of Alex. Thoughts of him with the boyfriend who’d answered the phone tormented him constantly. He was being eaten up inside by jealousy and envy alike. Also, he was furious at himself for not making a move on the dating counselor right away, because he knew if he had that he’d probably be the one dating Alex right now. Not that other guy, the one who got to see him naked in the shower.

Liam growled under his breath and snatched the top paper off the pile. His students were going to regret the fact that his TA was off sick. If he couldn’t take his frustrations out in any other way, he could take them out on this bunch of incompetent young boobs taking his classes. They were all going to regret signing up for his classes, or his name wasn’t Professor Liam McCreary!

 

 

Alex sighed as he put the headset of his phone in the cradle. He should have felt happy and satisfied - his latest client reported that he’d had a wonderful first date with one of the men in the profiles that Alex had supplied him. But he found himself not as into his work as he normally was, and he wasn’t as excited when he got guys together. Probably because he wasn’t with anyone, and the worst part of all was that he really, really wanted to be.

With one of his own clients. He’d admit it. He was extremely attracted to Professor Liam McCreary, but the other man didn’t seem the least bit interested in him in turn. And now Professor McCreary was taking a break from All For Love, so Alex didn’t even get to see or talk to him at all. That made him feel rather depressed. Even though he’d been working diligently to set Liam up with other men, it had still been nice to see or talk to him once in awhile. 

Alex’s fingers stilled on his keyboard. He’d started to type a note into his client’s profile about the success of the date, but now he stopped and frowned to himself. Had he really worked hard to set Liam up with other men? Or had he been subconsciously sabotaging all of Liam’s dates so far, putting him with men that he just KNEW instinctively were totally wrong for him? Would he do that? If he didn’t know he was doing it? Oh, man, that wasn’t good!

Worried, he pulled up the profiles of the three unsuccessful dates that Liam had gone on. He studied them carefully, and his heart sank as he realized the truth - he was still as good as ever. But in this case, what he’d been good at was finding men who wouldn’t interest Liam in the least, so he wouldn’t want to go out with them again. He had, indeed, subconsciously sabotaged Liam’s dates so that the man would have time to ask him out instead. Oh, Geez. If his bosses ever found out about this, he’d be lucky if he wasn’t fired. Worse, he felt utterly terrible. Here Liam had been counting on him to find Mr. Right for him, and instead Alex had been deliberately(if only subconsciously) finding Mr. Wrong instead. And clearly Liam wasn’t interested in him at all, so he’d been cheating the poor professor out of really good matches for him out of selfish hope.

Alex groaned and buried his face in his hands. He’d have to make this up to Liam as soon as he could. He’d find him a guy so great that the professor wouldn’t be able to resist! Yes, that’s what he’d do. And he’d try to ignore the little wailing voice inside of him that was crying out that he didn’t WANT to find somebody else for Liam…that Liam should be HIS…Because Liam WASN’T his, and obviously never would he. He had to accept that, and get down to work. 

Alex bent over his computer, his lower lip jutting out a little in a determined manner. He’d do it. He’d find the perfect guy for Liam McCreary. And if it broke his heart to do so, then so be it. He’d live with a broken heart and the satisfaction of knowing he’d done his job right. 

 

 

Liam looked up with a scowl when his phone rang. He snatched at the receiver, intending to tell whoever was interrupting him just what he thought of them. But before he could snarl into the phone, he heard a familiar voice on the other end that stunned him silent. “Hey, Professor McCreary? This is Alex Pettifor. I know I said I’d give you a break from All For Love and our dating profiles, but the thing is I’ve been thinking about your situation and I really wanted to correct it. So I spent hours combing through our files, finding some new matches for you. And I guarantee that these guys will be much better than the ones I recommended before. So, could you give it another go? Please? For me? I really want to help you find somebody great.”

His earnest voice made Liam’s stomach churn and his fingers tighten on the headset until they were white. Oh, God, why couldn’t Alex just leave him alone?! Be happy with his boyfriend and leave Liam to his misery?! It just wasn’t fair! He croaked: “How do you know that these men you’ve found for me will be any better than the other ones, Mr. Pettifor?” He knew he should call him Alex, but he just COULDN’T. At least calling him by his last name put some desperately needed distance between them.

“Because I really worked hard on these, Professor McCreary. Honest. I was trying with the other ones, but maybe my heart wasn’t entirely in it. But now I’m giving this my all, everything I’ve got, because I want you to be happy. So, will you try? Please?”

Oh, God, he felt sick. Alex was trying his very hardest to set Liam up with someone other than him. Because he wanted Liam to be HAPPY. He wanted to thump his head on his desk as hard as he could as he choked on the irony. Why did the universe hate him so? What had he ever done to deserve this? Because he couldn’t refuse that earnest voice anything. Not a single god damn thing.

“Of course, Mr. Pettifor, I would be willing to try again. Just for you,” he gritted out between set teeth. 

“Oh, man, that’s awesome!” Alex cried cheerfully, those tones scraping along Liam’s raw nerves like nails on a chalkboard. “Could you come by All For love later on and look through the profiles I have for you? So we can get the ball rolling right away.”

“Sure,” that was the hardest single word that Liam had ever said in his entire life. He couldn’t manage to say anything else, but it was enough for Alex. 

“I’ll see you then, Professor. I’m so glad that you’re willing to give me another chance. I swear, this time I know you’ll find someone just wonderful.”

‘I already did, but you’re taken,’ Liam thought dumbly. Pain was lancing through him, jabbing in the vicinity of his heart.

“Anyway, Professor, I’ll see you later. I can’t wait for you to find the right guy,” Alex continued, and if there was something rather woeful in his voice when he said this, Liam was too busy feeling sorry for himself to notice. 

“Okay. See you then,” Liam said crisply, then hung up because he couldn’t take it anymore. He put his head in his hands and moaned softly. Dear Lord, had he thought that this week couldn’t get any worse? What a naïve fool he’d been. Because it had now sunk into the lowest depths of the ninth circle of Hell, and seemed bound to stay there for a very long time to come…

 

Alex fidgeted with the stack of papers in front of him. He was waiting for Liam to show up and look these profiles over, to see if any of them caught his eye. He sighed, wishing heartily that he’d never made that call earlier today. But he just had to do this. Liam deserved the best that Alex could give him. 

He looked up as footsteps approached his desk, and was startled to see his younger brother standing there instead of Liam. “What are you doing here?” he asked rudely.

His brother grinned. “What a way to talk to your bro. And after I fixed your computer, too. I came to ask you for a favor, Alex.”

Uh, oh, If his brother had come in person rather than calling, it meant that he knew that Alex wouldn’t like the favor and would try to wiggle out of it. It would be harder for him to do that in person. “What is it?” he asked suspiciously.

“Well, there’s this chick that I’m going out with. She’s sorta great, and I was thinking that I’d like to take her somewhere nice…”

Ah, ha. A loan. No wonder his brother hadn’t called first. Alex narrowed his eyes. “How much?” he asked in resignation.

“Oh, not much. Maybe a coupla hundred. I’m good for it. Also, I was hoping that you’d make reservations somewhere nice for us. You have all of those contacts from your work,” his brother said ingratiatingly. 

Alex scowled at him. “You are a total pain, you know that?” he said in annoyance.

A bright grin. “Yeah, I know. But if you won’t loan it to me, I’ll have to ask Ma. And I know you hate that.”

He did. It infuriated him when his brother caged their mother for money. She’d give it to him, too. He was her baby. Even though she could ill afford it. “Fine,” he snapped. “But this is the last time you hit me up for money for the next three months. And if you try to get any of Ma, I’ll make you sorry you were ever born. Deal?”

“Deal!” His brother cried brightly. “I really like this chick, Alex. I think I might actually have a real girlfriend soon.”

That sounded hopeful. His brother could use a stabilizing influence. He just hoped this girl wasn’t crazy or a moocher or something else awful. Well, here’s hoping. He reached into his desk for his checkbook. “I’ll write you a check for the loan and make the reservation at Chez Henri for tomorrow night at seven o’clock. Is that good for you?”

“Perfect. Thanks, bro.” His brother said happily.

Alex started to write out the check. But a sudden sound made him glance up in surprise - right into Liam McCreary’s slightly narrow-eyed gaze…


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam realizes his mistake

A/N: Just for you, Paachan, for finishing your finals. Cheers - DL

 

Liam felt a surge of rage run through him. Here he’d come down to get that list of potential compatible men from Alex, and the counselor was snuggling up to his boyfriend at work! Liam knew that the insolent young thing sprawled in the chair across from Alex was his current boyfriend, because he’d just been talking when Liam walked up to Alex’s cubicle. And he’d never forget that voice, never! Liam’s lip lifted slightly in a silent snarl. It was very unprofessional of Alex to have his lover here at his place of work. It made Liam want to punch that sneer right off the young bastard’s face, which he had to admit(grumpily) was rather handsome. 

He started to turn on his heel and leave, but he’d apparently made some angry sound because Alex looked up just then(he’d been writing a check! A check! Was this punk some kind of freeloading moocher, living off of his new boyfriend’s largess?) and straight into his eyes. Alex looked startled, but then he rose to his feet as a smile spread across his face. It was the most welcoming smile that Liam had ever seen. It made his heart beat too fast and his stomach churn. His hands balled into fists at his sides, as he reminded himself silently that Alex already had a boyfriend. Even if he was a useless moocher. 

“Liam! Hello! I was just waiting for you. I’ve got that list for you right here,” he indicated a paper sitting on top of his desk. “I think you’ll really like the profiles on here,” he said earnestly.

Liam couldn’t stay angry at him. He felt his ire drain away in favor of a weary depression, as the young scoundrel still lounging in the chair across from Alex stared boldly at Liam. “I’m sure I will,” he said dully.

“Are you all right, Liam?” Alex asked in concern.

“Of course,” he replied, his face freezing into an expressionless mask. He didn’t want Alex to see how upset he was. No good could come from it. 

“All right, then, if you’re sure…” Alex’s eyes searched his face.

He nodded, not saying anything else. The young man spoke up just then, sounding impatient. “Alex, can I get that check? I’ve got to run to the bank to cash it before they close.”

“Just a minute, Tyler,” Alex said, glaring at him. He didn’t seem particularly enamored of his new beau, Liam thought., Although, if the wretched punk was mooching money off of him, it made sense that Alex might be rethinking his life choices. That thought heartened Liam. Perhaps he’d have a chance with the man after all? He’d just have to be patient and hope that Alex broke up with this cretin soon. “I’m with a client.”

“Sure, sure. But just give me the check and I’ll go. Then you can help this guy,” the young man’s eyes raked Liam’s face, clearly not impressed by what he saw. Liam breathed through his nose and struggled not to deck Alex’s boyfriend right then and there. 

“Okay. Liam, do you mind waiting for a second while I finish up with Tyler?” Alex asked hopefully, tuning puppy dog eyes on him.

He could refuse this man nothing. “No, I don’t mind,” he said abruptly, glaring at the insolent brat.

“Thanks so much! This won’t take a minute,” Alex scurried back behind his desk, sat down, and hurriedly finished writing the check. “Here you go,” he said, shoving it at the young man. “And remember what I told you. No borrowing money from me or Ma for the next three months, or I swear I’ll make your life miserable.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, bro,” Tyler said amiably, taking the check and stashing it in the pocket of the windbreaker he was wearing. “See ya later. Don’t work too long.”

He waved a hand and strolled away past a frozen Liam. He’d heard the words ‘Ma’ and ‘bro’, and he was stunned into shocked silence. Could it be? Could it…? His heart was racing as he said abruptly: “Was that your brother, Alex?”

The counselor blinked up at him. “Oh, yes. Tyler came to borrow some money to take his new girlfriend out to a fancy restaurant. I know I shouldn’t give it to him, but if I don’t he’ll bug my mother and she really doesn’t have the money to loan it to him. I’m sorry that he held you up. He shouldn’t have come to my work. Now, if you’ll sit down we can go over that list of profiles…?”

Liam took in a deep, shuddering breath. The boy was a brother. A brother. That’s how he could see Alex naked in the shower. Come to think of it, there’d been a certain resemblance that he hadn’t noticed before because he’d been so upset. Dear God, what an amazing day! This made the last month’s unpleasantness just wash away as though it’d never been. He took in another long breath, then startled Alex by smiling at him. “Yes, I’ll sit down,” he began, taking the seat that Tyler had vacated, “But I don’t want to discuss those profiles.”

“You don’t?” Alex looked so hurt that Liam felt like he’d kicked a puppy. “But I worked so hard on these…”

“I’m sure you did. But the thing is, Alex,” he leaned forward, catching Alex’s gaze with his own, “I don’t want to go out with any of those men. I want to go out with YOU.”

Shocked silence. Alex’s eyes were huge. Liam silently admired them as Alex’s mouth opened and closed like a landed fish’s. “Wha…wha...but WHY? I mean, you’ve never asked me out before this, and I…” Alex waved a helpless hand in the air.

Liam shrugged. “At first I was kind of scared to ask you out, because to tell you the truth I was so attracted to you that it frightened me a bit. Then, when I finally worked up the courage to call you and tell you how I feel, a man answered the phone at your house and said that you were in the shower. Did I want him to take you a message? I was devastated that I’d acted too late and you had a boyfriend. That’s why I asked not to use your service for awhile. I didn’t want to have to see you, knowing you were dating another man.”

“Oh, but that was Tyler!” Alex cried, in understanding.

“I know that now. I recognized his voice as I approached your desk, but I still thought that he was your boyfriend. Then you said something about your mother, and he called you ‘bro’, and I realized I’d made a mistake. I was so pleased to realize that. Because, Alex, I really want to go out with you. I am really attracted to you. So, do you think you might want to go out with me, too? Or don’t you date clients?” he asked uncertainly.

“Yes! I do want to go out with you! Technically I shouldn’t, but I don’t care, because I’m attracted to you, too, Liam. I was hoping you’d ask me out, ever since you first walked in here. I’m so happy right now,” Alex beamed, his eyes sparkling.

Liam felt something that had been too tight inside his chest loosen. He felt warmth and happiness flow through him at Alex’s obvious enthusiasm about going out with him., “Can I ask you out on a date, then?” he said. “Hopefully sometime soon?”

“Oh, yes. But not tomorrow night at Chez Henri,” Alex said with a little moue. “That’s where my brother is taking his new girlfriend,” he added in explanation. 

Liam felt his lips twitch. “ I see. Well, there are plenty of other restaurants in this town. I’m sure we can find someplace else that we like.”

“Are you kidding me? I know every good restaurant by heart by now. Hazards of my job,” Alex said with a grin. “What’s your pleasure? Italian, Chinese, Thai? Anyplace you want to go, Liam.”

“Italian would be fine. I’ll let you choose the restaurant, since you know so much about them. And the time, since anytime after five is good for me.”

“That works. I’ll make reservations somewhere great. Could I call you tomorrow and tell you all the details?”

“Yes, of course. You probably have other clients coming in. I should get going, since I don’t want to look at that list,” Liam said, nodding at the paper on Alex’s desktop.

Alex laughed, sounding undeniably happy. “Yes, you don’t need that anymore,” he said firmly, opening a desk drawer and shoving the papers inside of it. 

Liam hesitated, even though he’d risen to his feet. ’Thank you,” he told Alex gravely, “For consenting to go out with me.”

Alex’s eyes sparkled with suppressed laughter. “God, you’re adorable!” he exclaimed as he rose lithely to his own feet. 

Startled, Liam stared at him in confusion. “What?”

Alex circled his desk like a shark closing in on its prey. “You’re so serious. I love that,” he told Liam. “I bet I can make you smile, though,” he went on with a cheeky grin.

“Something tells me that you’re right,” Liam agreed, just before Alex surprised him again by coming right up to him and kissing him firmly on the mouth.

It was a fleeting kiss, but a very good nonetheless. Alex stepped back, looking impish. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he told Liam. “But I don’t care. I’ll see you tomorrow evening, Liam. You can come and pick me up here at work anytime after five.”

He touched his lips lightly, savoring the lingering feel of Alex’s lips on his own. “I will definitely see you tomorrow evening,” he agreed solemnly.  
Alex’s smile was like a thousand watt light bulb this time. “Awesome. I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon. Bye, Liam,” he lifted his hand and waved cheerfully, and it was that image that Liam carried with him as he left All For Love.

He stood outside on the sidewalk and wondered vaguely what had happened. When he’d walked into the place twenty minutes ago, it had been in a state of near despair. Now he felt like singing and dancing and throwing his hands up in the air for pure joy, none of which he’d actually do because he’d look like an idiot. But he couldn’t help the small smile on his face as he started for his car. This day had just gotten a thousand times better in the space of a few minutes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Liam's first date.

Liam was reading a ten page paper from the stack at his elbow when the phone rang. He was grateful to set it down; the student seemed to have only the most rudimentary grasp of the English language, and he could feel a headache coming on just from trying to decipher the mangled syntax and grammar. This was one student who should go back to high school for some basic courses, he mused as he reached out to answer the phone. 

“Hello? Liam McCreary here.”

“Hello, Liam McCreary,” Alex’s voice said teasingly. 

Liam sat up and paid attention(in several ways) at the sound of his voice. “So I found us a really nice Italian restaurant for tonight, and I made reservations. You’ll love this place. The food is excellent,” Alex said happily. 

“That sounds good,” he replied, meaning it. This was one date he was really looking forward to.

Alex laughed. It was such a merry sound it did funny things to Liam’s insides. “Great. We’ll take separate cars this time, okay? I’ll meet you at the restaurant. I’m not sure what time I’ll be getting off, so I don’t want to make you wait for me. If you get to Garnetto’s at 5:30, you can hold our table for us and have some bread and wine while you wait. I’ll be there as quick as I can, promise. No worries that I’ll stand you up,” Alex said merrily. “I’m really looking forward to tonight,” he added, his voice going more serious.

“So am I,” Liam admitted. 

“Wonderful. I’ll see you sometime after 5:30, then. Here’s the address of the restaurant,” Alex read it out to him, and he wrote it on the pad of paper that he kept near his elbow at all times so he could take notes. “So I’ll see you then.”

“Of course,” he replied. Alex hung up in his usual energetic fashion, while Liam put down the handset reluctantly. He realized that he would have liked to just chat with Alex, which wasn’t like him at all. Usually, he found idle conversation inane and irritating. But he suspected that he could have listened to Alex chatter on for hours without getting bored or annoyed. How odd…

Liam was glad to escape the endless, boring, irritating task of grading papers later that day. If his TA didn’t return soon, he suspected that he’d have a full-on breakdown and kill all of his students with a machete. What a bunch of lazy, illiterate, know-nothings! It was enough to give him agidar.  
He drove home to change his clothes and freshen up for his date, before going to the restaurant that Alex had picked out for them. He could admit that he preened far more than usual, wanting to look his best. He studied his face in the mirror, grimacing at what he saw. Surely someone as attractive as Alex drew handsome men in droves. What did he see in someone like Liam, an uptight, anal professor with a face that was all planes and angles? Surely he was crazy to think that this would work out. Alex was far out of his league. 

But he was still determined to try. He never gave up on what he really wanted unless he absolutely had to, and he really wanted Alex. He nodded his head sharply at his own image, and left his house. He wanted to arrive a little early at the restaurant, and since he’d never been there before it might take some time to find it and assess the parking situation. 

 

Garnetto’s turned out to be a busy restaurant downtown, and Liam had to park a few blocks away and walk there. Not that this was an onerous task; a late Spring wind was blowing softly, and the evening shadows were lengthening and turning everything a soft, hazy color. He found himself sniffing at the air and enjoying the stroll, more relaxed than he could remember being in a long, long time. He suspected Alex had something to do with that; the other man didn’t even need to be anywhere near him for him to react to Alex’s laid-back, happy-go-lucky attitude. All Liam had to do was think of his smiling face, and everything that was tight inside of him melted into goo. 

He shook his head as he approached the restaurant. Alex had bewitched him. That was the only answer. What was it about this particular man, above and beyond all others, that made him react this way? Yes, he had a lovely smile and a kind, helpful, sweet personality. But Liam had met other men before this with nice smiles and good personalities. None of them had ever made him feel this way. No one else but Alex. 

He decided to stop trying to analyze all of this and just enjoy it. He spoke to the hostess, and she led him to the small, cozy table in a corner reserved for him and Alex. It was partially shielded from the rest of the room by a large plant, and Liam decided he liked that. It would leave him and Alex in their own little world, away from the prying eyes of the other diners. Being gay could be a trial when you were dating. Far too many people stared rudely and whispered to each other when they saw two men flirting with each other over dinner. Some even made insulting comments. Liam didn’t want Alex exposed to all of that, though he was sure that Alex had heard it all before this. Every gay man had. Tonight was special, being their first date ever. He wanted it to go well.

A waiter appeared with a glass of water, a basket of breadsticks, and a menu. Liam told him that a companion would soon be joining him, and the waiter obligingly fetched another menu. Liam opened his, sipped at his water, and tried to decide what he wanted to eat. The shrimp scampi sounded good, but so did the veal marsala. Although perhaps he’d skip the veal. Alex had such a kind, soft heart he’d probably object to eating veal, since the way it was produced was fairly inhumane. 

He nibbled at a breadstick in a desultory manner, his eyes scanning the restaurant. He saw mainly couples at the other tables, although there were several larger parties of families or what were probably friends or work colleagues at the bigger tables. He did something he often did to pass the time in situations like these - he made up elaborate stories about the people surrounding him in his head, imaging them in all kinds of absurd situations. That couple, for example, were a pair of spies just returned from an assignment in Morocco, having an intimate dinner together before they flew off to Zurich together for another job. The man was laughing, and the woman smiled at him in a way that told Liam that the lucky man would definitely be getting some tonight. Well, of course. Spies had to make love whenever they could, since their lives were so dangerous they didn’t often find time to be intimate together.

His lips quirked at his own fancies. Just then the hostess appeared with Alex in tow. His heart sped up at the mere sight of the other man. “Hey, Liam! Glad to see you made it. Work was a bit hectic for me today; sorry if I’m a bit late,” Alex said as he sat down across from Liam.

“You’re not really late. I’ve only been here for about fifteen minutes,” Liam told him. 

“Oh, good. Ah! A menu! I’m starved,” Alex said, picking up his menu and studying it. “I could eat a horse. I skipped lunch today because a client was in desperate straits.”

Liam frowned at him. “You shouldn’t skip meals,” he chided, then winced internally because he sounded like a disapproving mother, not a date. 

Alex lowered the menu and grinned at him cheekily across the table. “I know,” he said. “I’m a bad boy. How should I be punished, so you think, Liam?”

Visions of just how he could punish this ‘bad boy’ were suddenly dancing in his head, and Liam had an instant, raging erection. He moved in his chair, clearing his throat as he fought the uncomfortable pressure against the front of his slacks.

Alex, the little bastard, merely winked at him and returned to scanning his menu. He knew exactly the affect he’d just had on Liam! Made him want to throw Alex over his knee and spank his ass until he couldn’t sit down anymore…oh, God. That had been the wrong thought. Now he was more turned on than ever, and he was going to have an accident in his trousers if he didn’t get himself under control. Liam envisioned some very unsexy things, and remembering his grandma in a lace nightie(and hadn’t that sight almost scarred him for life!) finally made the throbbing pressure subside. Liam sighed in relief as their waiter appeared to take their orders. 

Alex’s eyes were twinkling the entire time he was giving his order to the waiter. His lips were turned up at the corners in a secret smirk. Liam tried his best glower on for size, the one that made his students tremble in their seats. But Alex was unaffected. As soon as the waiter retreated, he winked brazenly at Liam and gave him an air kiss.

It was then that Liam realized that he definitely wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man. Sure, he didn’t know Alex that well yet. Of course, they needed to date and get to know each other better. But he knew in his heart of hearts that this man, this adorable creature that laughed at his dourness and teased him unmercifully, would be the person who would make him happy for the rest of his days. Because Alex wouldn’t let him be unhappy, would coax and jolly him into a better mood whether he liked it or not. Would brighten his days and smile just for him. Would make each day better than the last one was. Would bring him a joy he’d never known, not in all of his life before this. 

And Liam wanted that. He wanted all of it. Of course, he didn’t mention any of this to Alex just yet. He didn’t want to scare the guy away by moving too fast. “Hey, Alex, I know it’s our first date, but would you consider moving in with me? Maybe we could get married next week.” Yeah, that’d go over well. So he kept his revelation to himself, and instead asked Alex about his day at work. He listened to him chatter on, his eyes resting on Alex’s face, thinking to himself that he could spend all day just watching Alex. The man was fascinating to him. Each movement, each gesture, the way his eyes sparkled with life…He was a wonder to Liam. That the universe had produced someone like this just for him…almost made him believe in the existence of God. Almost.

 

The food was excellent. Liam mentioned this fact, and Alex nodded. “I know you’d love it. I come here every couple of weeks on average. Of course, it kind of bites to have to eat alone, which is why I’m so glad to be here with you. It’s sad if you think about it - a dating counselor who seldom has a date!” he said with a grimace. 

“Why don’t you just your own service to match yourself?” Liam asked curiously.

“Well, I could. But it seemed wrong to use my work for free to set myself up. Besides, I’m not always the best judge of character where my own love life is concerned. I’ve dated some crappy guys in the past. Which is why I’m so glad that you asked me out, not the other way around. I asked out all of the horrible guys I dated, so I’m really leery about asking anybody out by now. But I have hope where you’re concerned, Liam. I really like you.”

“I like you too, Alex,” he replied, feeling a surge of warmth in his abdomen.   
Alex held out his water glass. “To us liking each other,” he said mock-solemnly.

Liam tapped the glass with his own. “To us,” he agreed, and Alex beamed at him as they sipped from their glasses.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Alex's first date goes very well, indeed...

Liam and Alex chatted casually over dinner. The subjects they touched on were a little bit of the ‘getting to know you’ stuff, but much more about everything from current events to the politics of Renaissance Europe. That came about because Alex asked Liam about his work ,and seemed genuinely interested, even fascinated, by the nuggets of history he doled out. He was far more interested than any of Liam’s students, that was for sure. He never once looked bored. And he asked lots of insightful questions. Liam found himself enjoying the evening in a way that he hadn’t in a long time. If ever.

The food was very good, and they took some time out of talking to enjoy it. “See why I come here?” Alex said, with a blissful look on his adorable face as he stuck a forkful of pasta into his pink mouth. 

Liam nodded. “I can see why, yes,” he agreed. “The food is very good.”

“I’m glad you like it. This restaurant is so romantic - I love to send couples here,” Alex remarked, glancing around. “So it’s a great place for our first date, wouldn’t you say?”

Liam nodded. “Yes. I agree. I’m not usually into romance,” he added, before he met Alex’s eyes, “But for you, I’ll make an exception,” he added with the smallest of smiles.

Alex’s answering grin was wide and sparkling. “Thanks, Liam,” he said merrily. “I appreciate it. There’s nothing like a little romance to win a boy’s heart, you know.”

“Is that how it works?” Liam asked dryly. “I thought it had more to do with great abs and a large bank account.”

Alex snorted. “For some shallow, narcissistic boys, sure,” he agreed. “But that’s not what I’m looking for. I don’t care about the size of your abs OR your bank account, Liam. I just like you for you.”

He studied Alex’s cute face across the tabletop soberly. “Why?” he asked.

Alex blinked. “Why?” He repeated. “What do you mean, why?”

Liam shrugged. “I know why I’m attracted to you, but I’m a little baffled about what you see in ME,” Liam told Alex.

Alex leaned forward and met his eyes. “I know what you’re thinking, Liam, and you can stop right now,” he said firmly.

He blinked. “What am I thinking?”

“That you’re not good enough for me,” Alex said. “But you’re a cool guy, Liam. Smart, interesting, a little intense, but in a good way…” he ran his eyes over Liam. “Also, you’re pretty good looking, if in an unconventional way. I personally think that you’re a catch, you know? And it makes me very happy to be the one who caught you.”

“You really think that?’ Liam said, wonderingly.

“Yep. I also think you’re adorable,” Alex went on, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Liam shook his head in some asperity. “I am NOT adorable,” he said.

Alex snorted. “Yes, you are. At least, I think so, and that’s all that matters, you know?”

Liam lifted his brows, but decided to let it go. Alex asked him about his woodworking, and professed an interest in seeing his workshop. Liam wouldn’t have ordinarily let anyone else into his precious sanctum, but for Alex he found himself willing to make an exception. So he promised to let the dating counselor come over to his house and see inside of his workshop very soon, which made Alex beam with pleasure. 

Alex started talking about his own hobbies, which included watching movies, taking walks, spending time with his cat(Yes, I’m a crazy cat person, he added. Will that be a deal breaker for you Liam?), and cooking. 

“You cook?”

Alex nodded. “Do you?”

He shook his head. “Only the basics. I tend to eat out, or eat frozen dinners, or whatever’s quickest and easiest.”

“You shouldn’t do that! Frozen diners aren’t good for you!” Alex exclaimed.

“I know that, but I don’t have the time or energy to cook for myself most of the time.” Liam replied.

“Well, I’ll just have to cook for you when I can from now on,” Alex said stoutly.

He felt warmth in his chest and stomach at these words. “I’d like that,” he said softly.

Color swarmed up into Alex’s cheeks. He became very interested in the tablecloth. Liam laughed, softly. “You’re very shy,” he teased. “Are you always this shy, Alex?”

A shake of the curly head. “No. You bring it out in me, Liam,” Alex replied with charming ruefulness.

He smiled. “I like that,” he remarked.

Alex looked up, surprised. “You do?”

He nodded. “It’s cute. The funny thing is, before this, I never would have imagined that I’d ever find anything ‘cute’, or that I’d like doing so. It always seemed such a revolting word, ‘cute’. But now I see it has its charms,” he added, his eyes on Alex’s face.

More color. Lovely. Alex smiled back at him, in a way that made his stomach do slow rolls inside of him. “So, do you think this first date is going well, Liam?” he asked teasingly.

He nodded. “I really think so,” he said decisively. “I’ve never enjoyed myself this much on a date before this.”

“Really?” Alex asked hopefully.

“Really. What about you? Are you enjoying yourself, too?”

“Oh, yes!” Alex cried, a little too loudly, then clapped his hand over his mouth and shot Liam a rueful, laughing look over it. Then he lowered it enough to say more softly: “I’ve never had more fun on a date, either, Liam. I really like talking to you.”

He felt pleasure well up in him. No man had ever told him that he was ‘fun’ before this. Most of them had acted like he was the grimmest, dourest person that they’d ever met, in fact. That Alex was clearly enjoying himself, being with Liam, made Liam feel something he never had before. It might almost have been - joy. What an unusual feeling! He quite liked it. Would being around Alex always make him feel this way? If so, he was happy to consider going in for the long haul with Alex. He never wanted to stop feeling like this. 

 

Alex, unaware of his thoughts, had diverted the conversation. He was talking about his mother and his little brother, and Liam found himself listening with interest. The brother, while a definite troublemaker, was also a good kid(according to Alex, anyway), who’d get his shit together sometime soon. Alex just knew it. And his mom was a lovely woman, who adored her two sons and was always baking something. Alex never wanted for homemade pies, cakes, and breads. 

“Which is why I take long walks in the evening,” he said to Liam with a grin. “If I didn’t, I’d weigh three hundred pounds by now!”

“You look good to me,” Liam remarked, running his eyes over Alex’s slender, lithe figure appreciatively.

“Thanks. I try. Do you work out, Liam?”

He nodded. “I use the treadmill at the college gym five days a week,” he told Alex. “As I don’t have time for others forms of exercise, and I don’t want to get flabby. I’ve seen what sedentary ways can do to my fellow professors. I don’t want that to happen to me.”

“No, definitely not. You look really good,” Alex told him, and the expression in those big eyes made Liam’s cock stand to attention with a vengeance. He had a sudden image of himself standing up, sweeping all of the plates, silverware, and glassware off of the table, and throwing Alex over the empty tabletop so that he could fuck him right here, while they were being watched by all of the other diners. Liam gasped at how strong this image was. He’d never before realized that he had a kinky streak in him, but he must have if this fantasy made him get so hot he could hardly stand it!

“Liam? Are you okay?” He heard Alex ask, rather anxiously.

He blinked, drawn out of his fantasy by Alex’s voice. “hmm?”

“I said, are you okay? You look flushed, and there was such a weird expression on your face…you’re not getting sick, are you? Is it the food?”

He harrumphed, clearing his throat loudly. “Err…no. I’m not getting sick,” he said aloud. ‘If you don’t count sick in the head’, he added in his own mind, wryly. 

“Are you sure?” Alex persisted.

“I’m sure. The food is very good. So is the conversation and the company,” Liam added with a smile.

Alex turned rosy, but he smiled back happily. “I think so, too,” he agreed.  
Dinner was leisurely and very nice after that. When they’d finished their desserts, Liam reached for the check. But Alex forestalled him. “uh uh, we both pay our half,” he chided. “Remember? This is our first date, after all.”

He shrugged. “I would have happily paid it all,” he grumbled.

Alex laughed as he pulled out some cash to cover his part of the bill and the tip. “I know you would, Liam. You’re a true gentleman. I appreciate that.”  
His eyebrows rose. Did Alex really think he was a gentleman? How strange. He certainty didn’t FEEL like one right now. Rather, he felt more like a rutting bull who’s spotted a toothsome cow across the farmyard, and is thinking of going in for the kill. But he said nothing, and only produced his half of the cash from his wallet. They left a generous tip for the waiter as well, before they left the restaurant together. 

“Brrr, it’s chilly out here,” Alex said, hugging himself. “When will Spring actually start? I hate this weather.” Liam couldn’t help but agree. Icy sharp winds and slush weren’t his favorite things, either. He reached out and took Alex’s arm. “let’s get you to your car,” he said.

They hurried down the block, Liam with his hand still on Alex’s arm. When they reached Alex’s car, he started it with a remote starter. He turned to Liam. “I had such a great time, Liam…” he began.

“So did I.”

“Can we do it again? Soon?” Alex asked hopefully.

He nodded. “Yes, I’d really like that.”

‘Great,” Alex stepped forward and kissed him just then, and their mouths mated together in such a satisfactory way that they both forgot the cold for a minute. But then, Alex shivered a bit and stepped back. “If it weren’t so cold, I’d stay out here like this with you all night,” he said with a saucy smile. “As it is…Maybe you’d like to come to my place and get warm? ‘he asked hopefully looking up at Liam through his lashes. ‘

What an offer! And one he’d love to take Alex up on. But… “I think we need to get to know each other a little better, “he said, regretfully. “Because, Alex…” he met those big eyes head on, with a serious stare. “I really like you. I want to know all of you, not just what your body looks like. While I want you very much, I want all of you. Is that bad?”

Alex blinked back a sudden sheen of tears. “No, Liam, that’s very, very good,” he croaked hoarsely. “I want that, too. All of you, I mean. So, I guess no sex until like the third date or so?” He said with a grimace.

“Maybe the second,” Liam said dryly. “As I’m not sure I want to wait THAT long to get to know you!”

Alex giggled, then swooped forward to kiss him yet again. “Sounds great. I’ll call you tomorrow with the details of our second date. Okay?”

‘Okay. I’ll talk to you then,” Liam let him go with regret, watching as Alex got into his warmed up car and drove away with a wave. He didn’t regret saying no to sex, but some parts of him thought him an utter fool. He told those parts to fuck off, and trudged away to his own car. He couldn’t wait for his next date with Alex. It couldn’t come soon enough for his tastes.


End file.
